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Fisher & Paykel dryers are well-designed and efficient home appliances. However, these machines can only produce good results if they generate the necessary heat. So, why would a Fisher Paykel dryer not heat up?
A Fisher Paykel dryer will not heat if the high-limit thermostat is faulty or if the heating element is broken. Besides that, the appliance can’t generate any heat if the heating element doesn’t receive the power it needs. That could be due to a blown electrical fuse, tripped circuit breaker, or a motor control module failing to send power to the heating element.
Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why your Fisher ; Paykel dryer isn’t generating any heat and what you can do to fix it. Before we go into detail, though, let’s look at some initial troubleshooting steps you can take first.
Related: Top Reasons Why Frigidaire Dryer Is Not Heating
Initial Troubleshooting Steps
If your Fisher ; Paykel dryer isn’t heating, that doesn’t necessarily mean a component has failed. So, before digging deeper, take these initial troubleshooting steps to rule out some basic issues:
- Check the drying cycle you’ve selected: Drying cycles like ‘Cool Air’ or ‘Air Dry’ on Fisher ; Paykel dryers do not require any heat. If you’ve selected these cycles, the appliance will not heat.
- Check if the drying cycle has progressed to ‘Cool’: When your Fisher ; Paykel dryer senses that the clothes inside are already dry, it will then move over to a Cool Down or Airing stage. The dryer will cool down during this stage of the drying cycle instead of generating more heat.
- Empty the water tank (on condenser dryer models): Condenser dryer models feature a water tank that collects all the moisture removed from clothes in the drum. When that tank gets full, the dryer will not generate any more heat. To fix this, all you have to do is empty the water tank.
- Check that the vents are clear: Blocked dryer vents could cause the dryer to overheat. As a result, the dryer will not generate any more heat as a way of protecting itself against further damage.
Caution!
Before opening up your dryer to perform any troubleshooting or repair, always disconnect the dryer’s power supply. If it’s a gas dryer, shut off the gas supply as well. These steps will prevent electrocution and reduce the risk of injury while you work on the appliance. If you’re unsure when performing any repairs, always refer to a qualified technician instead.
Blown Fuse Or Tripped Breaker
The power supply to your dryer is protected, either by a fuse (if the dryer plugs into a socket) or a breaker (if the dryer is hard-wired to the house’s power supply). These devices share the same purpose: to cut off the power to the dryer when necessary so that the dryer will not damage itself or pose a fire risk.
However, each of them works in slightly different ways. A fuse is a sacrificial device that will blow and require a replacement. A breaker, on the other hand, will only trip. You can turn it back on by flipping the breaker switch.
Related: Circuit Breaker is ON But No Power To The Outlet?
Remember:
A blown fuse or a tripped breaker is a symptom and not necessarily the root cause. So, if these parts fail repeatedly, you’ll also need to troubleshoot for an electrical fault in the dryer.
How it fails:
Fuses and breakers are designed to react whenever there’s an electrical fault. For instance, if the dryer experiences a short circuit and starts to draw far too much power, the fuse will blow, or the breaker will trip. In doing so, these devices break the circuit and prevent any electricity from flowing to some parts of the dryer.
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How to fix:
If your fuse is blown, you’ll need to replace it. However, a tripped breaker can simply be switched back on.
As mentioned before, these problems are symptoms and not the root cause. So, if they continue to happen even after the fix, you must troubleshoot the dryer for electrical faults like short circuits.
If you don’t have the knowledge or experience to do that safely, always leave it up to a qualified technician.
Read: Why Dryer Smells So Bad?
High-Limit Thermostat
The high-limit thermostat is a protective device that prevents your Fisher ; Paykel dryer from overheating. Typically, you’ll find it placed somewhere near the blower housing, where hot air is pushed into the dryer’s drum.
A high-limit thermostat is a switch that is activated by temperature. So when it senses that the temperature inside the dryer is too high, it will break the appliance’s electrical circuit and prevent it from continuing to heat.
In doing so, the high-limit thermostat reduces the overall fire risk posed by the dryer.
How it fails:
When a high-limit thermostat works correctly, it will only break the electrical circuit when the dryer gets too hot. However, a faulty thermostat will mistakenly do that and prevent the dryer from heating up at all, even when it should.
Related: Why Your Dryer Gets Hot When Not Running
Even though the rest of the dryer functions correctly, the heating element will not receive any power and can’t generate any heat.
How to fix:
To fix this, the high-limit thermostat must be replaced.
- You can access it by removing the rear panel on your Fisher ; Paykel dryer. Refer to your user manual or technical sheet if you’re unable to locate or identify the high-limit thermostat.
- Once you’ve found it, you can remove the electrical connector attached to it.
- Then, unthread the screws that hold it in place to remove the thermostat.
- That will allow you to mount the replacement part and reconnect the electrical wires to it.
- Lastly, replace any panels that you removed to gain access to the high-limit thermostat.
Failed Heating Element
The heating element in your dryer is responsible for raising the temperatures high enough to dry your clothes effectively. This component consists of wires that conduct electricity while also providing plenty of resistance.
As a result, the wires will heat up very quickly whenever power is supplied to the heating element. Then, a blower or fan will force all of that heat through the drum to remove moisture from the laundry inside.
Related: Why Dryer Is Overheating? 7 Common Reasons
How it fails:
Heating elements experience plenty of wear and tear, especially from heating and cooling down continually. At some point, the heating element might burn out or break, preventing them from generating any heat at all when necessary.
How to fix:
The most straightforward method of fixing a failed heating element is to replace it entirely. To do this, you must access the heating element housing through the back of the dryer.
Doing this means removing the rear panel and finding the existing heating element. If you’re unsure of where it is or what it looks like, refer to the user manual or technical sheet. These documents will point out the heating element on your dryer model.
- Once you’ve found it, disconnect the electrical connectors attached to it.
- Then, remove any mounting screws or bolts holding it in place. You’ll have no problems removing it once those screws are unthreaded.
- Next, insert the new heating element and secure it in place. Then, replace its electrical connectors the same way as before, and cover up the dryer’s rear panel.
Failed Motor Control Module
The motor control module is responsible for powering two components: the dryer’s motor and its heating elements. It will power one or both of those parts depending on whichever stage of the drying cycle is currently taking place in the appliance.
How it fails:
A failed motor control module could cause the motor or the heating elements not to receive power . This problem is most likely caused by electrical damage or general wear and tear.
Electrical damage like a power surge during a thunderstorm could damage the motor control module and prevent it from powering the dryer’s heating elements.
In addition, the longer the dryer has been in use, the more likely it has suffered from wear and tear that could also make the control module fail to power the heating elements.
How to fix:
A failed motor control module needs to be replaced. On Fisher ; Paykel dryers, you’ll find the motor control module in the bottom left corner of the appliance. To gain access to it, you’ll need to remove the dryer’s front cover first.
The motor control module has a top cover that you can remove by pressing the locking tab. That will allow you to remove the many electrical wires connected to the module.
Tip:
Use your cellphone to take a picture of the wires before you remove them. That picture will act as a useful reference later when you need to reconnect the wires the same way as before.
- Disconnect the electrical wires and then unthread the screw holding the module in place. You’ll be able to remove the entire module easily at this point.
- Next, you can slide the new motor control module in its place.
- Secure the module by replacing the screw you removed earlier, and then begin to reconnect all the electrical wires as well.
- Lastly, replace the motor control module’s top cover and then replace the dryer’s front panel.
